It’s Friday morning September 14th 2001. The terrible and tragic events and images of three days earlier, September 11th, are freshly burned into our national psyche, and at once, an outpouring of disbelief, horror, and grief galvanize into a desire to help, to do something, anything to show each other and all the world that we still stand united. That Friday morning, I’m chatting in an online forum with others and like almost all online venues at the time, the discussion was about september 11th – what had happened, what we experienced, how we found out, where were we at the time, what would come next… And at that time, one of the other members of the forum said she was participating in a nationwide candlelight vigil that night in memory of those lost. I thought, there’s something I can do, even in a symbolic way. It may not bring comfort to those people who were directly impacted by the events of 9/11, but in it’s own way, it can bring comfort to neighbors and passers by, comfort in knowing that we are not alone in our grief and dismay, but rather we are all as one, in this together for the greater good.

Together we stand, divided we fall…

An American flag illuminated from below by candles hangs from the lower branches of an ancient chestnut tree.

The lights of passing cars trail across this image of the 9/11 national candlelight vigil

Scenes like this across the country offer a sense of peace and serenity in contrast to the graphic media images and accounts of the horrifying events of 9/11/2001